Not only is it the final home football game, but the Green Wave men's basketball team will be playing host to McNeese State in its season opener about two hours after the football game against Alabama-Birmingham in the Superdome is over.

"I'm sure our marketing department will come up with something to make it a special event," Tulane basketball coach Dave Dickerson said. "We can use the support."

The McNeese game is the first of 15 home games for Tulane, which returns three starters and seven lettermen from last year's team which finished 17-15.

The schedule includes a Dec. 3 game against UNO at Lakefront Arena, marking the first time the Wave has played the Privateers there since 2004.

Conference USA play begins with a Jan. 7 game at East Carolina. The first home C-USA game is Jan. 10 against Rice.

The Wave also will play host to neighboring Loyola in a Nov. 6 exhibition.

Nine of Tulane's opponents were in postseason last year, including national runner-up Memphis, whom the Wave will meet in the regular season finale on March 7.

"From a standpoint of non-conference games combined with Conference USA is the most difficult schedule we've played," said Dickerson, who is going into his fourth season. "We think it's very balanced from a standpoint of really good programs and really good programs and programs that are up and coming in college basketball."

The other 2008 NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule are Texas, Western Kentucky, South Alabama and George Mason.

Only the Western Kentucky game is at Fogelman Arena.

Alabama-Birmingham was an NIT team last year and Tulsa, Texas-El Paso and Houston all played in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.
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Tulsa and UTEP both play Tulane at Fogelman.

"Memphis is going to be really good again," Dickerson said. "But you look at Tulsa, UAB and Southern Miss being as good as anybody in the conference.

"I like our team, too. We're going to be a little more mature and I really like how we're coming together to be able to play all phases of the game."